“Oikos” is a Greek word meaning home or place to live. “Ecos” was coined from this word. “Tree Crops” comes from the philosophy of J. Russell Smith, who published a best selling book in 1930’s called, “Tree Crops—A Permanent Agriculture.” To understand the concept of tree crops more completely means combining our knowledge of ecology and agriculture. Unlike orchards, tree crops should be made up of genetically diverse individuals which would be resilient
to environmental changes. Over time only seed based woody plants can keep the pace of a changing climate including increased disease pressure by very effectively changing its constitution to survive. A cultivar based selection is frozen in time unable to move past its genetic background selected by its previous breeder. Dead end. By careful selection over a period of time, seed strains can be used for permaculture as well as commercial agricultural production. Without this continuing influx of diversity, we are lost in our ability to ecologically integrate with our environment and respond to crisis. The goal of Oikos Tree Crops is to provide this diversity and to educate people about the benefits of plants to create a healthy environment.